Tracking Covid-19’s impact on meatpacking workers and industry

*Blanks in the above map mean that no exact numbers have been reported

Using news reports, company press releases, state data and original reporting, we're keeping track of the coronavirus's effect on the meatpacking industry, including positive cases among workers and employee deaths. We've also incorporated figures released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on May 1 (but the figures appear to be outdated; see the methodology below).

We'll continue updating through the outbreak.

As of May 21, there have been at least 15,800 reported positive cases tied to meatpacking facilities in at least 193 plants in 32 states, and at least 63 reported worker deaths at 31 plants in 18 states.

("Tied to" includes positive tests among workers and people who interacted with workers, such as family members; it's primarily workers who have tested positive. We are not including in the count incidents where "many," "numerous," etc. were used, and we're rounding down if numbers are reported as approximate. Read our methodology below the database.)

You can search by company name, location or type: closure, positive test(s), worker death(s), or worker action (such as walking out or calling in sick en masse). It also includes the type of meat processed at the facility and its USDA establishment number.

Click the green button to see the additional information, sources used and links to the original articles.

If we're missing one or if we're missing important information, let us know at sky.chadde@investigatemidwest.org.

If you are a meatpacking worker and have a tip to share, visit our page on how to contact us securely.

METHODOLOGY: Data that breaks down at what workplace an outbreak occurred is hard to come by. The only state in the above database that includes data on the setting of an outbreak is Colorado. Because of that, we're basing most of our count on numbers that have been reported in news stories. It's also difficult to get exact numbers because some companies, some states and even some unions have refused to release or confirm numbers. Additionally, in Brown County, Wisconsin, which has three plants with large outbreaks, local health officials told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel they've stopped tracking cases to the plants because it was time-consuming. So it's possible the overall figures are an undercount.

The figures the CDC has released appear to be outdated. For instance, the CDC says one worker in Georgia has died from COVID-19, but in mid-April a Tyson spokesperson told the Associated Press at least four of the company's workers in Georgia had died. Also, the CDC says only two plants in Iowa have been affected, but reporting, mainly from the Des Moines Register, shows otherwise. When reporting reflects local or state figures that are higher than the CDC's, we have used the local/state figures.

The Delmarva Peninsula includes parts of Maryland and Delaware. According to the CDC, 336 workers in Delaware have tested positive for COVID-19. According to the Salisbury Daily Times, 262 Maryland workers have tested positive, but many of them work in Delaware plants. Until specific plants with specific worker counts can be identified in this area, we'll only count the Delaware figures reported by the CDC.

We're thankful for the great reporting other outlets are doing that allow us to do this.

Those outlets are: ABC7 Chicago, ABC57, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, AL.com, Argus Leader, Associated Press, Cape Gazette, Cincinnati Enquirer, Civil Eats, Columbia Missourian, Courier and Press, CNN, Delmarva Now, Des Moines Register, Dodge City Daily Globe, DTN, Grand Island Independent, Greeley Tribune, Green Bay Press Gazette, Indianapolis Star, KAKE, KARE 11, KBIA, KEPR-TV, KOIN6, KTIV, KQED, Lewistown Sentinel, Meat+Poultry, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Minnesota Public Radio, Minnesota Reformer, Minneapolis StarTribune, Morning Call, Nashville Tennessean, NBC News, New York Times, The Oklahoman, Omaha World-Herald, Peoria Journal Star, Philadelphia Inquirer, Radio Iowa, Reuters, RTV6 Indianapolis, Sioux City Journal, The State, Texas Tribune, Tri-City Herald, York Daily Record, Walla Walla Union-Bulletin, WITN-TV, WIBW13, WOI-TV, WOOD-TV, WTXL Tallahassee, 9News and 13WMAZ.

Pramod Acharya contributed data visualizations and research.

Sky Chadde is the Midwest Center’s Gannett Agricultural Data Fellow. He can be reached at sky.chadde@investigatemidwest.org.